Virginia Patton died of natural causes late last week. She was 97, and the last surviving adult cast member from the 1946 holiday classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
Matthews Funeral Home in Albany, Georgia, was the first to confirm the former actress’s passing on Thursday. An obituary, published the same day, noted that she “passed peacefully of natural causes.”
People, in covering the matter in its recent report, recalled that Patton was best known for her role as Ruth Dakin Bailey in Frank Capra’s 1946 classic. It also featured Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and Thomas Mitchell.
On Sunday, “It’s A Wonderful Life” child star Karolyn Grimes honored Virginia Patton on her Facebook account, writing, “We have another angel.”
The actress, who played the daughter of George Bailey in the classic film, also posted two photos of her co-star. One image shows her starring in the film, while the other is a picture taken more recently.
The magazine quoted the rest of Grimes’s post, saying, “Virginia Patton Moss. She was 97 years old. She played Harry Bailey’s wife in the film, ‘It’s A Wonderful Life! She is now with her beloved Cruse. She will be missed!”
Cruse Moss was Patton’s husband of 69 years. He passed away in 2018.
Elsewhere in the obituary, it is said that Virginia Patton’s acting career started during her teenage years. It added that she appeared in various theater productions and movies, with reports noting her stint on “It’s A Wonderful Life” as one of her final projects.
The piece also looked back on her label, Virginia Patton of Hollywood, where the former celebrity “designed, manufactured, and distributed” women’s and children’s wear.
The New York Post, in a similar report, said she did a few more film projects from 1947 to 1949. These include “The Burning Cross,” “Black Eagle,” and “The Lucky Stiff.”
In 1949, Patton retired from acting, ending her seven-year career in Hollywood. During the same year, she married the love of her life, Cruse Moss, and settled in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Patton reportedly began a career in business upon relocation. She became a businesswoman while raising her and Moss’s three children.
Reports later unearthed an interview that the "Black Eagle" star did with local news outlet Patch in 2012, where she talked about her career as an actress.
The Post quoted the former celebrity, saying, “I couldn’t see me doing that for my life… I wanted exactly what I am. Ann Arbor, Michigan, a wonderful husband, wonderful children, a good part of the community. I work hard for the community.”